


Family Gatherings

by Jecari



Series: Buddiemas 2019 [10]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: 12 Days of Buddiemas, 12 Days of Buddiemas (9-1-1), Buddiemas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Found Family, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:01:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21863383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jecari/pseuds/Jecari
Summary: “To family,” Bobby smiles, raising his glass.“To family,” everyone repeats, raising their glasses, too.Eddie joins in as his boyfriend sits back next to him, and as conversations start again, he takes a moment to look around the table. As he does so, he’s overwhelmed by how much they all mean to him. His blood relatives might not all be here tonight, but he’s still surrounded by people he loves and cares about– his family.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Series: Buddiemas 2019 [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1567324
Comments: 1
Kudos: 128





	Family Gatherings

**Author's Note:**

> Day 10 of 12 days of [Buddiemas ](https://buddiemas.tumblr.com/) is here! 
> 
> Prompt: Family Gatherings
> 
> Hope you like it! ♥

Eddie still is exhausted and groggy with sleep as he walks down the hall to the kitchen, guided by soft music and a delicious smell that makes his mouth water. Last night’s shift was a long and difficult one, so he hoped to sleep longer since Christopher is staying at his Abuela’s until dinner time, but apparently his brain had other plans. However, when he gets to the kitchen, instead of continuing mentally cursing at himself, he wants to thank his brain.

In the room, Buck is leaning over the stove, a large wooden spoon in one hand and the handle of a frying pan in the other as he softly sings along to Jingle Bell Rock and sways his hips. Smiling, Eddie leans against the doorway and looks at his boyfriend who hasn’t noticed him yet. Buck looks like he belongs here– because he does, Eddie thinks– in this kitchen, in this house, in Eddie’s life, like he’s always been here. It all feels so right that Eddie hardly remembers how his life was before Buck, and he doesn’t want to.

“Eddie?!”

Buck’s surprised yelp makes Eddie jump, snapping him out of his thoughts. He gives his boyfriend a sheepish smile as the man strides across the kitchen, smiling back. Buck only stops walking when their bodies are touching and he leans down to kiss him. He cups Eddie’s jaw and quickly pecks his lips before pulling away. Before he can get too far, Eddie grabs him by his apron and pulls him back, closer than before. When he kisses him again Buck laughs against his lips, his chest vibrating against Eddie who can’t help but smile. His smile leaves his lips as he kisses his boyfriend with more eagerness, sliding his hand up his arms and around the back of his neck. As Eddie deepens the kiss, he thrusts his hips forward, getting a moan out of Buck when their crotches rub against one another. The man nips at his bottom lips before pulling away.

“As much as I love where this going,” Buck states, breathless, “I have Christmas dinner to cook.”

Eddie groans. “Why didn’t you let Bobby cook?”

“Because we’re hosting,” his boyfriend replies, walking back to the stove. “I also made you something to eat,” he announces, pointing at the table behind him.

Eddie frowns and carefully enters the kitchen, taking in the mess the other man made. There are bowls, kitchen utensils, flour, and vegetable peelings everywhere. Dirty dishes are piling up in the sink, and the turkey is cooking in the oven.

“Did you even sleep?” He asks Buck, sitting at the table.

Buck turns the stove off and turns to look at him. “I tried but I couldn’t stop thinking about everything that needed to be done,” he shrugs and walks to the table, “so I got a head start.”

"A head start?" Eddie laughs before biting into his bagel.

Buck shrugs again, a smile on his lips. Except for cleaning, it doesn't look like there's much left to do, and his boyfriend looks like he could use a break, tiredness obvious despite the focused look on his face as he mashes potatoes.

"Buck…" He says softly, putting his hand over Buck's to make him stop.

It works, and the younger man looks up at him. Eddie smiles at him, wraps his fingers around his wrist and tugs at it until Buck is far enough from the bowl and close enough to him. He moves on his chair and with a firm tug at Buck's arm, he makes him sit on his lap.

“You need to rest,” Eddie states before giving Buck’s arm a kiss, his arms tightly wrapped around the other man’s waist.

Buck sighs and Eddie knows he agrees, but he argues anyway. “I can’t, I have to mash the potatoes, make the gravy, keep an eye on the turkey, make the eggnog, clean, set the table. Should we put a red tablecloth or a white one? Do we even have a red–”

Eddie stops his boyfriend’s nervous babbling with another kiss on his arm to which he adds some biting. Buck’s breath catches in his throat and he pushes him away, pressing his hands against his shoulders.

“Stop trying to distract me,” Buck orders with a serious look. “This is important Eddie. It’s the first time we’re hosting for Christmas Eve and it needs to be perfect.”

“And it will be,” Eddie assures him, “but it won’t be worth it if you can’t enjoy it because you’re sleep deprived.”

“You’re right,” his boyfriend admits with a sigh as he stands up and looks around him, “bu–”

“Go to sleep,” Eddie insists, throwing the rest of his bagel in his mouth and standing up, too. He walks to Buck, unties his apron and puts it on. “I’m going to keep an eye on the turkey, mash the potatoes, make the gravy and the eggnog, clean the kitchen and we can set the table together when you wake up. We still have hours before everyone gets here.”

Buck nods and kiss him. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Eddie smiles before gently pushing him out of the kitchen. “Now go get some beauty sleep— not that you need it,” he adds smacking his butt as Buck turns around to leave the room.

While Buck finally gets some rest, Eddie finishes most of the preparation without any mishap and even finds himself with some free time. Of course, that brings nothing good. As he sits in the now clean and empty kitchen, Christmas songs still coming out of the Bluetooth speaker, he can’t stop the trip down memory his brain has started. 

Nostalgia makes his heart clench in his chest as he remembers what Christmas was like as a kid, but it’s soon replaced by sadness. It might not be a perfect one, but misses his family– he often does– but Christmas makes it worse. He knows that they are one phone call away. He still talks to them regularly, but it’s different. They’re not here. A part of him tells him it’s normal, families grow apart sometimes, but another one– stronger– feels like it’s wrong, it feels lonely. He always thought that no matter what happened, they would always have Christmas to be the close and loving they used to be.

“What’s with the long face?”

More than the question, it’s the weight of Buck’s arms around his and head rested atop his own that brings Eddie out of his thoughts. He shakes his head as his boyfriend puts a soft kiss in his hair, and he looks up at him. Despite the weird angle, Buck’s eyes find his and Eddie feels a little bit less lonely, but his heart still feels heavy. He decides to ignore it and smiles at the other man.

“I’m fine,” he lies. He feels bad for it but he doesn’t want to ruin the Christmas spirit.

“I,” Buck says before kissing his forehead. “Don’t,” he continues, his lips pecking his nose. “Believe–” He softly kisses him on the mouth. “You,” he finishes, looking right into is eyes.

Of course, he doesn’t. His boyfriend knows him better than that. He knows better than pressing the issue, too. Instead, he just holds Eddie longer and tighter in the silence to show him he’s here for him, and just like that, Eddie feels nothing but love.

A couple of hours later, dinner is in full swing. The entire team is here with their families, filling the house with more noise and people than it has ever been since Christopher and Eddie moved in. Just as he told Buck, everything is perfect, and the soft blush that creeps on his boyfriend’s cheeks every time someone compliments something is very cute.

Conversations overlap and it’s loud, but Eddie loves it. However, it doesn’t stop the memories and loneliness from trying to ruin his mood from time to time. What does stop them, though, is Buck. Somehow, as soon as Eddie feels his heart getting heavier, his boyfriend knows it and touches him. It’s a soft brush of his hand against his arm or a firm squeeze on his knee, and it never fails to anchor him to the present.

“Let’s make a toast!” Buck suddenly announces, standing up.

Eddie frowns at him as he hits his glass with his knife to catch everyone’s attention. It works and the chatter stops as everyone turns their heads to Buck who smiles.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he starts, resting his free hand on Eddie’s shoulder who’s sitting next to him. “I– We,” he corrects himself, “just want to thank you all for being here tonight. It means a lot to us that we all are reunited here to celebrate Christmas this year. As a team,” he looks at Hen, Chimney, Bobby, and Eddie, “and as one big, weird, family.”

“To family,” Bobby smiles, raising his glass.

“To family,” everyone repeats, raising their glasses, too.

Eddie joins in as his boyfriend sits back next to him, and as conversations start again, he takes a moment to look around the table. As he does so, he’s overwhelmed by how much they all mean to him. His blood relatives might not all be here tonight, but he’s still surrounded by people he loves and cares about– his family.

**Author's Note:**

> Big thank you to my beta [ bisexualbucks ](https://bisexualbucks.tumblr.com/) who did an amazing job, as always! ♥
> 
> Find me on [ Tumblr ](https://depthandcharacter.tumblr.com) and don't hesitate to drop prompts in my askbox!
> 
> Comments and Kuddos are highly appreciated. Your kind words make my days ♥


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